Summertime plant shopping

Truth be told the amount of time and energy it takes I can't say it is worth it, unless you're really serious about them.

Rhodos sometimes take years to bloom, 5+ to make any sort of statement. You would be better off going to a club or sale and buying one for $15-$20. Shrubs are tough.

Sigh. I know. Anna Rose Whitney is beyond lovely.

Thanks. It is new this year from the club so I was lucky to have one blossom on it. Hopefully i placed it in a good spot for next year.

What do you mean by "It is new this year from the club"? Does the club send out plants for testing by members?

No. I mean that I bought it from the club. They develop their plant stock for members. It helps to ensure diversity and survival of favorites and sought after cultivars.

I imagine most plant specific clubs do this. Of course it is far from perfect but I think you get the idea.

Sally, I too have tried to find plants that are named for my relatives. My two favorites are what I have in memory of my two grandmothers. My maternal grandmother's name was Mary Frances, and I found a beautiful lavender bearded iris named 'Mary Frances'. My paternal grandmother's name was Rose, and I found a beautiful peony named 'Vivid Rose'. At some point, I want to find plants for my mother and her sisters - Patricia and Mary Lou, Kathleen, and Frances. I bought a hellebores named 'Mary Lou' this year, so I have a start. Then, I want to add for me and my sisters Julia and Christina. Again, I have a start from a Home Depot purchase with astilbe 'Sister Theresa'. Plant files is a good place to look, but I'll probably save the research for a rainy day....

Oh you with sensibly named relatives. My maternal grandmother was named Akrata!

Now that will be a challenge, but you never know what we can find LOL! If not, we'll just have to find someone to hybridize and name it 'Akrata'.

She'd turn over in her grave!

I challenge anyone to find a plant named "GITA" something.....

I can see coleup, furtively looking already......she can come up with all kinds of things...

G.

Will "Gitanilla" do? A kind of ivy geranium means 'little gypsy'
http://www.google.com/search?q=gitanilla+plant&hl=en&gbv=2&prmd=ivnsb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=LcqWUZOEGq2q4AO_poGACw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ

Heehee, works for me!!!!

Coleup---You are too much!

Gitanilla---a new flavoring for cookies......;o)

"Gitanilla extract - a rrrrrrrreally NUTTY flavourrrrrrrrrr!" < =)

WOW, really though, those Gitanilla geraniums are really gorgeous!!!!!!!

Planting for family names, such a great idea! Maybe the beds will get a make-over next year, and I'll start with a couple Veronica's; one for my paternal Grandma and one for my sister. Wonder if there are any "Myra" plants out there....

registered Daylilies come in all kinds of names but to actually BUY them, is another story.

I have no Marian for Mom, but I have more than a few plants from out yard...that's close enough.

Oh, you all are making me sick. I must face up to the fact that I, too, belong in the "there's no room for more." And THIS makes me sick, because there is nothing quite like walking up and down aisles of my favorite nursery to clear my head after a hard day at work...no indeedy, there is just nothing like it. But I manage to always make it to the "TLC'rs" in the back of the nursery...found a great Thundercloud pine this way...
And though I am easily romanced by the new plants, I revert rather quickly to the "retro" ones of my youth...

Oh yes Ma'am Grayce, I find myself doing the same thing at work... go into the greenhouse for a little 'clean-up' and find myself looking at stuff with that "what looks half-dead and needs me to take it home with me?" eye. I have to literally, physically shake my head vigorously to jar those thoughts loose because I HAVE NO ROOM FOR ANY MORE!! I don't even have room for what I brought home the last time, but thankfully they will need to be in their pots for this season to recover, so I won't have to worry about the digging of new beds that I will HAVE TO do.. until next year. =)

Sorry about making you sick.. here, here's a barf-bag. < =D

Aspenhill let me know that RCN (Debbie), who used to be active on MAG, had had some health issues. Apparently it was a severe ankle injury -- see http://www.rickscustomnursery.com/gardenfairs.htm

BUT apparently she is doing better (based on the RCN website) and Rick's Custom Nursery is having an open house at the end of this month (I originally thought it was Memorial Day weekend -- but that was wrong). Anyone up for a field trip maybe May 30th in the morning (that's the first day, for the best selection)? http://www.rickscustomnursery.com/openhouse.htm "We'll be celebrating our annual Open House on the last weekend of the spring season, May 30, 31 and June 1, when we'll offer you the opportunity to help reduce our inventory with bargain priced perennials - $5.00 each!"

It's a 3+ hour drive for me, so this is nothing to be undertaken lightly! And I haven't actually checked my calendar, but I think I'm free that day.... But 6+ hours in the car might be a bit nuts....

This message was edited May 22, 2013 9:29 PM

Happy, I may be up for it. I have always wanted to see Debbie's gardens, but have never talked myself into the drive. If you are up for a road trip, it might just convince me. Let me think on it for a few days, and let me know which way your thoughts are leaning... I'm glad to hear that Debbie is doing better.

Didn't you just do that on Saturday? The driving I mean? That would be awesome, but I have to find homes for all my goodies, now!! Thanks for the heads up

Yes, glad to hear she is doing better. Ankle injuries are no joke!! Just returned from visiting a friend who had surgery a week ago. She thought itmwas just a sprain and walked around on it for almost a week. Then needed surgery including a plate and pins since the bone had shifted.

This message was edited May 21, 2013 2:05 PM

Jan - mapquest said you were ONLY 2 hrs and 45 minutes, so under 3 hours drive. When I've looked up directions to Debbies, it looks more like 4 hrs - I guess in my mind under 3 is close and over 3 is far away - not very logical I know. This weekeend I'm making an 8 hour drive to upstate New York for grandmother's 102nd birthday celebration. What is one more road trip in the overall scheme of things LOL. Maybe I can get my dad to plant all my stuff that is currently sitting on benches in the "staging area". He complains to everyone but me that he just can't understand why I keep getting more plants when I haven't planted the ones I've got. Needless to say, the complaints do get passed on to me (as is his intention) without actually telling me himself HA HA HA.

Aspenhill -- let's play it by ear ... maybe there are other stops to make along they way that would add to the allure....

Heehee, AH!! I hear you about the under/over 3. Isn't that funny about the' backdoor' remarks that are intended to be heard, but not really by the person saying them?

I heard from her a few weeks ago. She sent me a note after looking at my glass plate flower. She said they were reopening the Nursery after two years. She must be very busy in her studio making all kinds of Garden Art. Ric and I stopped at her place years ago when we were on our way to the Beach. She has wonderful gardens and a lovely home. Definitely worth the trip. I would love to go back down and see her and see what she has been doing in her studio. She is such a lovely person and I think of her often.

Um... people... Memorial Day is THIS coming Monday, and the 30th is a Thursday... When is the open house??

Aspenhill, I know what you mean! Something about the 3 hour mark makes it seem really far away, especially for a one day trip.

Sorry to barge right into the conversation,but,Speedlebean,I know exactly what you are talking about.I love to nurse poor growing plants back to health! And please do not ever throw geraniums in the trash.The species that I have ,I have them flowering all winter!

Heya! Glad you dropped in. Geraniums, I seldom have luck with, because I've been trying the winter-dormancy thing with them... sounds like I should just pull them into the morning room with the rest of the tender plants in fall! I cringe when people toss amaryllis bulbs...

I would love to see Ricks Custom Nursery but not in the next two weeks- whenever it is.

I love nursing plants- at times----and I am also finding the nerve to cut my losses at other times...

Yea,I know what you mean! I save my Easter lilies and plant them out along a south facing wall.Two years now,I'm still looking for a late summer bloom,someday?

I've heard Easter lilies generally won't rebloom because they've been too stressed by forcing. But I've heard that about mums also, and I know some people who get lovely flowers from their mums the following year!

Well,I'm calling it a night .Later,all!!

I inherited Easter lilies here and they bloomed. Still do.

I once planted a mum that I bought from Safeway in the garden. The flowers were a very pretty dusty pink and I just couldn't toss it :-). Anyway, it lived and bloomed for years. It had to be dug out because it got too big.

Well--I planted the after-bloom bulbs of my paper Whites last fall--
so far, just some wimpy leaves....when would these bloom---if ever?

--Here are all my Euphorbia babies starting to invade the whole bed....
Any takers????? The dig up and root easily.

--This is a picture of a LONG hedge between the Walgreen's and the 7-Eleven.
This is a Viburnum---right?
I broke off a bunch of lower branches and they are in water....any chance of them rooting?
I love the blooms---almost like those of a Hydrangea...(name???).

FREE cuttings!!!! it is a parking lot.....thinking Fall Swap....
G.

That does look like a Viburnum. Lovely! Viburnums can be propagated by soft wood cutting in May or June. The timing is good. It doesn't hurt to try.

A few people report success with paperwhites but its been three years for me and no rebloom. And the foliage stays on all winter and gets windburned and ratty.

I'll buy that!

Critter -- my mistake -- the open house is May 30 - June 2 -- NOT Memorial Day weekend. I also fixed the links to Rick's website above, and the link to the open house; they are http://www.rickscustomnursery.com/gardenfairs.htm and http://www.rickscustomnursery.com/openhouse.htm respectively (I always forget you can't put punctuation next to an internet link on DG).


This message was edited May 22, 2013 9:33 PM